Chapter 49: White Horse Temple, Seeking Prayer Beads, A Battlefield of Jealousy!

Gu Jinzhou and Su Ruanyuan met with Master Yunshan.

It was truly just a meeting.

Master Yunshan handed the box containing the Buddhist prayer beads to Gu Jinzhou, wearing a warm expression that seemed to say, "Go and have fun."

Gu Jinzhou opened the box and glanced inside. "Thank you, Master."

The agarwood prayer beads, carved with intricate characters, wrapped several times around the man's refined, jade-like wrist. A man who held no belief in gods or deities was now wearing prayer beads—absurd yet elegant, highlighting the unique, effortless nonchalance of Hong Kong's young master.

"The characters on these prayer beads were carved according to your exact birth date and time. My fortune is auspicious, so wearing them on my body will maximize your blessings and luck," Gu Jinzhou said.

"That's amazing. But why didn't you ask for a string of fortune-enhancing beads for yourself?" Su Ruanyuan slid the beads off his wrist and cradled them in her palm, inspecting them from all angles. Her pale, slender fingers made them look like a mystical sacred artifact from an ancient legend.

"A person shouldn't be too greedy. I just want to pray for your happiness."

Su Ruanyuan slipped the prayer beads back onto his wrist and asked in a low, muffled voice, "Brother Jinzhou, if I were to suddenly die while making you angry, would you grieve and cry for me?"

Gu Jinzhou's handsome face instantly turned gloomy.

"Su Ruanyuan, don't let me ever hear you say such things again!"

At that moment, a man and a woman walked in.

Su Lan'er did not expect to see them here.

Li Shaojue's deep, sharp gaze swept past Su Ruanyuan and finally came to rest on Gu Jinzhou's wrist.

In a deep and unhurried voice, he asked, "Everyone in Hong Kong knows that the young master of the Gu family doesn't believe in gods or Buddha. How is it that you're wearing prayer beads now? Could it be that something has happened?"

Su Lan'er was also curious.

Most business people were superstitious, so it wouldn't be strange for Young Master Gu to suddenly turn to faith.

A cold, mirthless smile flickered in Gu Jinzhou's dark, menacing eyes. "My girlfriend, my soon-to-be-fiancée, and my future wife hasn't been sleeping very well lately. Perhaps these prayer beads can bless her with a good night's sleep."

Li Shaojue's already cold and heavy brows turned icy to the extreme, a nameless, indescribable agitation churning in his chest—though he himself had no idea what caused this irritation.

Su Lan'er tightly linked her arm through Li Shaojue's. Was it her imagination, or did it feel like Shaojue was looking at Su Ruanyuan...

Su Lan'er smiled faintly. "Ruanyuan, why didn't you go home with Eldest Brother yesterday? He was so angry and upset that he didn't even eat dinner."

Su Ruanyuan gave a nonchalant "hmm," her face beaming with a gentle smile as she said flatly, "Su Shengyao wasn't angry and upset because I didn't go home; I don't have that much influence over him. The reason he couldn't eat is because you fell sick. Can your kidney disease be cured?"

The corners of Su Lan'er's lips curved up slightly. "Thank you for your concern. The doctor said my kidney disease is not severe and it can be cured."

If Su Ruanyuan didn't harbor designs on Li Shaojue and didn't stir up trouble in front of their parents and eldest brother, she could let bygones be bygones and accept Su Ruanyuan as her sister.

Su Lan'er's answer did not concern Su Ruanyuan in the slightest. She looked at Gu Jinzhou and whispered that she was hungry.

Gu Jinzhou stroked her head with doting affection and led her away.

Su Lan'er lowered her eyes, struggling to calm her wildly beating heart.

If Su Ruanyuan hadn't suddenly returned to Gu Jinzhou's side, she would have been the one to win Gu Jinzhou over.

Those prayer beads would also have been sought by Gu Jinzhou for her sake.

Li Shaojue's gaze was opaque and unreadable, a playful curve playing on his thin lips. "Su Ruanyuan clearly doesn't like you, so why bother putting on a hypocritical show of concern?"

Recovering her senses, Su Lan'er replied calmly, "I am a patient now, and we spent half a year living in each other's pockets day and night. If Su Ruanyuan were too stingy to even offer a word of concern, it would truly be a disgrace to her pride as a little princess of the Gu family."

"Su Ruanyuan has applied to be the dance director for *The Twin Consorts*. Since I'm the female lead of the drama, I can take the opportunity to help Eldest Brother persuade her to come home."

-

After eating vegetarian meals at White Horse Temple, Gu Jinzhou and Ruanyuan rushed without stopping to the Haiying Elite Private School to pick up the twins.

Gu Shouxi: "Goodbye, oh! Mommy's big baby boy!"

Gu Xiyuan: "Let's play house again tomorrow! I'll still be the dad, and you'll be the son!"

The grand ambitions of Gu Xiyuan and Gu Shouxi instantly turned to ashes and were scattered into nothingness the moment they saw Gu Jinzhou.

Gu Jinzhou frowned. Before he could even speak, the twins were already hugging Su Ruanyuan's thighs with tear-filled eyes, begging for protection.

Su Ruanyuan pinched their warm, chubby little cheeks, her calm and serene face smiling brightly. "Did you listen carefully in class?"

"Yes!"

Su Ruanyuan asked again, "Did you eat any junk food?"

"No!"

Su Ruanyuan looked at Gu Jinzhou with the exact same wide, watery eyes as the twins. "Brother Jinzhou, look how well-behaved they were today! They totally deserve a reward!"

Gu Jinzhou's stern expression showed a hint of softening.

Gu Shouxi chimed in, "Brother Jinzhou, we were very good!"

Gu Xiyuan refused to be outdone. "Brother Jinzhou, we were super, super good!"

Gu Jinzhou: "..."

Annoying.

He opened the car door, gripped their plump waists, and bundled them into the child safety seats.

Su Ruanyuan adjusted their sitting postures and clothes.

The twins were prone to bullying the gentle and fearing the stern; they didn't dare bother Gu Jinzhou at all, so they chattered incessantly to Su Ruanyuan instead.

Gu Shouxi blinked her large, dark eyes and acted cute. "Will Sister Ruanyuan be staying at home for a few more days? Can we go play at Silver Lake Manor this weekend?"

Su Ruanyuan replied, "I should be staying a few more days, depending on what Brother Jinzhou wants. If you want to go play at Silver Lake Manor, you can go whenever you like."

Gu Xiyuan said, "Sister Ruanyuan! The cafeteria had some really delicious fried chicken strips today, and we didn't get to eat enough. Can we ask Uncle Chef to make some for us?"

Su Ruanyuan's fair, delicate brows furrowed slightly, and the twins held their breath in suspense, awaiting her answer.

"Since you behaved so well, of course we can eat lots of fried chicken strips today!"

"I didn't say you could eat fried chicken strips," Gu Jinzhou interjected, his gaze focused and calm, his breathing cool, steady, and impeccably composed.

The twins played with their own hands, their own clothes, and when all else failed, stared out the window.

Big Brother is so strict.

He's even stricter with Sister Ruanyuan than he is with them.

Neither Mommy nor Daddy ever controlled their diet this strictly.

I can't even imagine what kind of life Sister Ruanyuan leads under Big Brother's rule. Does she only get to gnaw on carrots and vegetable leaves?!

In the evening.

A plate of fried chicken strips appeared on the dining table. Su Ruanyuan leisurely ate a few bites, but this did nothing to stop the twins from imagining her living a life of hardship on meager rations.

So, after taking their baths, the twins stuffed all their favorite snacks and drinks into a basket and carried it over to Su Ruanyuan.

Su Ruanyuan was deeply touched. Two of the snacks were actually her childhood favorites, but she still refused the twins' offering.

"Sister doesn't need your snacks. You should keep them and eat them yourselves."

"No, no, no! Sister Ruanyuan, you have to take them so you won't starve when Big Brother abuses you!"

Gu Jinzhou stood behind Su Ruanyuan, the tall and handsome man gazing down at them from above, a faint trace of anger wafting in his breath.

"Abuse?"

"Who on earth did you hear that from?"